SiteGround Review 2020: Is SiteGround a Good Web Host?
SiteGround Review 2020: Is SiteGround a Good Web Host?
This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure here. Thanks!
One of the key components to starting a WordPress blog is web hosting. It's the foundation of your site and is what keeps your blog up and running. You have literally hundreds of choices when it comes to web hosts, however SiteGround has emerged as one of the best options for WordPress bloggers.
I had the opportunity to test out their web hosting and and see what it was all about. So, here's my SiteGround Review for 2020. Is SiteGround a good web host? Let's find out!
Reliability
When your blog is down, you're leaving money on the table. That's why reliability and uptime are so essential to having a successsul and lucrative blog. I'm happy to report that SiteGround is known for having nearly 100% uptime and a response time of 535 ms.
Image credit: HRANK
Unplanned downtime can cost you in the long run. Thankfully, SiteGround has a 99.99 percent uptime that is guaranteed. So, rest assured that the lights will always be on!
WordPress Friendly
Obviously, there are plenty of hosts that can handle WordPress sites, but that's not the same thing as being designed to be user-friendly for WordPress bloggers. Examples of tools on SiteGround that make your life as a WordPress blogger easier include:
-
Install with 1 Click – Considering everything else you have to do for your site, being able to launch it onto the Internet with just one click is handy.
-
Automatic Updates – Hunting around for updates to install is just annoying. SiteGround's tool here makes it so you always have the most up to date version of WordPress.
-
Caching Boost – The “Supercacher” on the host has 3 different levels for making sure your cache works well and that the site is fast.
Other options include (techie stuff) letting you use the command line for managing the site, options for version testing, and a GIT tool.
That's why you have an advantage going with SiteGround as opposed to some other hosting companies which may not be able to streamline the WordPress installation process quite as well.
Also, check out their new and improved client area and site tools that can help you get your WordPress blog up and running in no time!
Site Migration Services
If you're a little worried about transferring a website to the new host by yourself, SiteGround has a transfer service where their Technical Support Team will do the website transfer for you.
When you fill in the required information and pay for the service, their system will post a ticket to the support engineers who will do the rest. Please note that website transfers may take up to 2-3 business days depending on the size of the website, the limitations set by the old host, the connectivity, and other.
General Speed
Site speed is essential when it comes to competing on the Internet. For example, Google uses website loading time as a ranking signal. According to one study, 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in no more than 2 seconds. If this fails, they may bounce.
The same study indicates that 40% will click away from a website immediately if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Almost 3/4ths of mobile users say that they have hit a site that loaded too slowly. More than half say that a site they went to just didn't work at all. The stats go on and on.
This is exactly why it's so important that SiteGround is often several times faster than other hosting sites. They achieve this by using SSD hard drives rather than the HDDs. These Solid State drives are as much as 30% faster than their HDD cousins. The HDDs use the old style of disks rather than something that's more chip-based.
You'll get up to 100 times the hits this way. That's way more chances to sell your product or service to your blog's audience.
Worldwide Server Speed
According to some tests, SiteGround has an average server response time of 129.8 ms. This is well under the Google recommended benchmark of 200 ms. The reason this is important is due to the fact that your customers could come from anywhere in the world, depending on the nature of your product. You want it to be under a reasonable benchmark for all of them, especially on average.
That way, you're not going to irritate anyone from specific countries just because they don't happen to be close to your blog's homebase.
Strong Customer Support
There's nothing worse, as a startup blogger, then having a hosting service that you can't get a hold of whenever you need it. This will make you feel completely powerless and frustrated (trust me, I've been there). Thankfully, SiteGround doesn't have this problem.
They offer a live chat option around the clock, as well as full phone support and a ticket system. Not all hosts have these options, so it's an advantage to be able to choose which one that you want. In general, the wait time on the phone shouldn't be longer than 5 minutes or so.
Usually, you'll get a response to a ticket within about ten minutes, depending on time of day.
This is if you have the GrowBig level and above, which gives you priority support. If you don't have it, then you only have to wait for a few hours instead.
Getting Info on Your Own
If you'd rather just solve the issue on your own, there's also a Knowledge-Based where you can look up info on how to take care of whatever problem you're experiencing. The database of articles here is extensive, and I definitely recommend reading them if you want to learn and improve your skills.
Free Backup Daily
You're going to want to defend the work you put into your blog every day, and SiteGround has plans like Cloud or Shared where you don't have to worry about losing data for whatever reason. It's all automatic so you don't have to do anything at all to benefit.
Get Going Today
All in all, SiteGround web hosting is a great choice for WordPress bloggers. Their Managed WordPress hosting is perfect for anyone who is serious about building and growing a successful and lucrative blog.
If you have any questions, you can contact me today, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about SiteGround or anything else for that matter.
Finally, if you think SiteGround is a good fit for you and your blog, you can easily sign up for SiteGround's Managed WordPress hosting today! It's one of the best ways for the self-driven to get going on creating a passive income with their WordPress blog!
This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure here. Thanks!
One of the key components to starting a WordPress blog is web hosting. It's the foundation of your site and is what keeps your blog up and running. You have literally hundreds of choices when it comes to web hosts, however SiteGround has emerged as one of the best options for WordPress bloggers.
I had the opportunity to test out their web hosting and and see what it was all about. So, here's my SiteGround Review for 2020. Is SiteGround a good web host? Let's find out!
Reliability
When your blog is down, you're leaving money on the table. That's why reliability and uptime are so essential to having a successsul and lucrative blog. I'm happy to report that SiteGround is known for having nearly 100% uptime and a response time of 535 ms.
Image credit: HRANK
Unplanned downtime can cost you in the long run. Thankfully, SiteGround has a 99.99 percent uptime that is guaranteed. So, rest assured that the lights will always be on!
WordPress Friendly
Obviously, there are plenty of hosts that can handle WordPress sites, but that's not the same thing as being designed to be user-friendly for WordPress bloggers. Examples of tools on SiteGround that make your life as a WordPress blogger easier include:
-
Install with 1 Click – Considering everything else you have to do for your site, being able to launch it onto the Internet with just one click is handy.
-
Automatic Updates – Hunting around for updates to install is just annoying. SiteGround's tool here makes it so you always have the most up to date version of WordPress.
-
Caching Boost – The “Supercacher” on the host has 3 different levels for making sure your cache works well and that the site is fast.
Other options include (techie stuff) letting you use the command line for managing the site, options for version testing, and a GIT tool.
That's why you have an advantage going with SiteGround as opposed to some other hosting companies which may not be able to streamline the WordPress installation process quite as well.
Also, check out their new and improved client area and site tools that can help you get your WordPress blog up and running in no time!
Site Migration Services
If you're a little worried about transferring a website to the new host by yourself, SiteGround has a transfer service where their Technical Support Team will do the website transfer for you.
When you fill in the required information and pay for the service, their system will post a ticket to the support engineers who will do the rest. Please note that website transfers may take up to 2-3 business days depending on the size of the website, the limitations set by the old host, the connectivity, and other.
General Speed
Site speed is essential when it comes to competing on the Internet. For example, Google uses website loading time as a ranking signal. According to one study, 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in no more than 2 seconds. If this fails, they may bounce.
The same study indicates that 40% will click away from a website immediately if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Almost 3/4ths of mobile users say that they have hit a site that loaded too slowly. More than half say that a site they went to just didn't work at all. The stats go on and on.
This is exactly why it's so important that SiteGround is often several times faster than other hosting sites. They achieve this by using SSD hard drives rather than the HDDs. These Solid State drives are as much as 30% faster than their HDD cousins. The HDDs use the old style of disks rather than something that's more chip-based.
You'll get up to 100 times the hits this way. That's way more chances to sell your product or service to your blog's audience.
Worldwide Server Speed
According to some tests, SiteGround has an average server response time of 129.8 ms. This is well under the Google recommended benchmark of 200 ms. The reason this is important is due to the fact that your customers could come from anywhere in the world, depending on the nature of your product. You want it to be under a reasonable benchmark for all of them, especially on average.
That way, you're not going to irritate anyone from specific countries just because they don't happen to be close to your blog's homebase.
Strong Customer Support
There's nothing worse, as a startup blogger, then having a hosting service that you can't get a hold of whenever you need it. This will make you feel completely powerless and frustrated (trust me, I've been there). Thankfully, SiteGround doesn't have this problem.
They offer a live chat option around the clock, as well as full phone support and a ticket system. Not all hosts have these options, so it's an advantage to be able to choose which one that you want. In general, the wait time on the phone shouldn't be longer than 5 minutes or so.
Usually, you'll get a response to a ticket within about ten minutes, depending on time of day.
This is if you have the GrowBig level and above, which gives you priority support. If you don't have it, then you only have to wait for a few hours instead.
Getting Info on Your Own
If you'd rather just solve the issue on your own, there's also a Knowledge-Based where you can look up info on how to take care of whatever problem you're experiencing. The database of articles here is extensive, and I definitely recommend reading them if you want to learn and improve your skills.
Free Backup Daily
You're going to want to defend the work you put into your blog every day, and SiteGround has plans like Cloud or Shared where you don't have to worry about losing data for whatever reason. It's all automatic so you don't have to do anything at all to benefit.
Get Going Today
All in all, SiteGround web hosting is a great choice for WordPress bloggers. Their Managed WordPress hosting is perfect for anyone who is serious about building and growing a successful and lucrative blog.
If you have any questions, you can contact me today, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about SiteGround or anything else for that matter.
Finally, if you think SiteGround is a good fit for you and your blog, you can easily sign up for SiteGround's Managed WordPress hosting today! It's one of the best ways for the self-driven to get going on creating a passive income with their WordPress blog!
Written by Ben Cummings
Cofounder of Sage Wave Media
Ben is a professional blogger who holds an MBA with a specialization in Entrepreneurship. He enjoys teaching, blogging, startups, a hoppy IPA, and college basketball. Whenever he's not blogging, you can find him cruising around sunny San Diego with his amazing family.
Such a wonderfully onformative review.!
Thanks, Joan! I'm glad you found it helpful!